Growing criticism surrounds a proposed 28-point peace plan for the war in Ukraine, with many observers arguing that the document reflects the strategic interests—and even the linguistic fingerprints—of the Kremlin.
According to The Guardian, a close reading of the text suggests that elements of the plan may not only be aligned with Moscow’s positions but may literally have been translated from Russian.
Analysts noted that certain phrases and sentence structures are awkward or unnatural in English, yet highly characteristic of Russian grammar. One example highlighted by The Guardian is the phrase: “It is expected that Russia will not invade neighbouring countries and Nato will not expand further.” While grammatically clumsy in English, the passive construction corresponds directly to a common and natural structure in Russian, reinforcing the suspicion of a Russian-language origin.
The newspaper also pointed to specific word choices that appear more at home in Russian diplomatic language than in typical English phrasing, further suggesting that the text may have been drafted in Russian before being rendered into English.
The White House has confirmed that Kirill Dmitriev—an envoy close to Vladimir Putin—co-authored the peace proposal alongside Donald Trump’s special representative, Steve Witkoff. The two reportedly developed the draft during a meeting in Miami several weeks ago.
Notably, neither the European Union nor Ukraine participated in the preparation of the plan, raising concerns about its legitimacy, balance and underlying intentions. For critics, the absence of Ukrainian or European involvement, combined with the document’s linguistic peculiarities, strengthens the view that the proposal reflects Moscow’s narrative more than a genuine, inclusive blueprint for peace.
